Cowgirls host Aztecs in pivotal Saturday night matchup
Top-two scoring defenses in the Mountain West are both 5-2 in the league
LARAMIE, Wyo. (Jan. 20, 2023) – The Wyoming Cowgirls look to rebound Saturday evening inside the Arena-Auditorium as they welcome San Diego State for a pivotal 6 p.m., contest. Saturday’s contest features the top-two scoring defenses in the Mountain West this season. The pair enter Saturday tied for third in the league at 5-2 each.
The contest will be broadcast live on the Mountain West Network and can be heard across the Cowgirl Radio Network with David Settle on the call.
ABOUT THE COWGIRLS
Wyoming’s (12-6, 5-2 MW) five-game winning streak was snapped by conference-leading UNLV Thursday night in Laramie, 71-57. The Cowgirls’ two league losses this season have come at the hands of the Lady Rebels. Tommi Olson led the way in the loss with a season-best 16 points and hit four 3-pointers, both one off tying career-highs in both statistics.
Grace Ellis and Quinn Weidemann also finished in double figures with 15 and 12 points, respectively. It marked the 13thtime this season that Weidemann has scored 10-plus while it was the ninth time Ellis reached the mark. Both Ellis and Weidemann notched three assists in the contest while Ellis pulled down nine rebounds while going 6-of-10 from field. Weidemann, meanwhile, hit three 3-pointers and is making 2.1 3-pointers per game this season, a mark that ranks second in the MW, as does her 3-point percentage of 42.5-percent. Tess Barnes led the way with four assists on the night.
Weidemann leads the Cowgirls overall this season in scoring at 12 points per game while Malene Pedersen’s 11.1 per contest is a team-high during league action. Wyoming has been very balanced in league play, as Allyson Fertig is averaging 11 points per game while Weidemann and Ellis average 10.9 and 10.6, respectively. Off the bench, Emily Mellema is averaging seven points per contest and is shooting 95.5-percent (21-22) from the free-throw line.
SCOUTING SAN DIEGO STATE
San Diego State enters Saturday’s contest leading the league in scoring defense, allowing opponents to score just 55.4 points per game. The Aztecs, who shoot 43.5-percent from the field and nearly 35-percent from 3-point range, are averaging 66.3 points per game in 2022-23. The 35-percent from beyond-the-arc ranks second-best in the Mountain West while the 37.1-percent allowed from the field defensively and 28.3-percent from 3-point range, ranks second and third, respectively in the conference.
Asia Avinger leads the balanced Aztec offensive attack at 12.5 points per game and has a team-best 69 assists. Five other Aztecs average at least 8.1 points per game. Sophia Ramos is second on the team in scoring at 11.9 points per game and is second on the squad with 63 assists and 34 steals. Kim Villalobos, who is one of two Aztecs to have started in all 20 games this season, leads SDSU at 5.1 rebounds per contest. Yummy Morris, who has also started in all 20, leads the team with 16 blocks.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST SAN DIEGO STATE
Wyoming leads the all-time series against the Aztecs, 35-29. UW has won the last five in the series and 8-of-the-last-9. SDSU last defeated the Cowgirls in Laramie in December of 2015 as Wyoming has won seven consecutive at home. The Cowgirls won both meetings against the Aztecs last season. Last season against SDSU, Fertig averaged 8.5 points, 11.5 rebounds a game and shot 50-percent in two games.
